One of the key findings from the study highlights that customer engagement is a direct reflection of expected revenue success
Equativ and Sharethrough, leading independent ad tech companies, released the findings of a commissioned Forrester Consulting Opportunity Snapshot, “Future-Proof Your Adtech Partnerships.” Conducted in May 2024, the study delves into the evolving needs of brands and agencies as they navigate a rapidly changing advertising landscape with a focus on fostering customer connections, and highlights the growing importance of innovative solutions in addressing the implications of data and addressability shifts.
The study, which surveyed 212 US-based advertising and marketing leaders, highlights that customer engagement is critical to achieving advertising goals, and the vast majority believe that sustainable, transparent, and brand safety initiatives hold the key to success.
“Despite the immediate challenges posed by the evolving digital landscape, including shifts in addressability and the phase-out of third-party cookies, savvy marketers are adopting a long-term, strategic approach to safeguard their brand’s reputation and core mission,” said Michael Sadicario, Managing Director at Equativ. “Marketers view the presence—or absence—of third-party cookies not as a pivotal factor for future success, but rather seek partners that can significantly enhance customer connections, including technologies that support sustainable and brand-safe strategies.”
One of the key findings from the study highlights that customer engagement is a direct reflection of expected revenue success: The top-ranked annual advertising goal, growing revenue (60%), can be achieved through other customer-centric goals, including improving customer satisfaction (52%) and increasing customer retention (48%).
They also found that decreasing carbon impact increases in priority: While focus on other advertising strategies is expected to decrease over the next two years, including using cookieless solutions (-3 percentage points) and using a consent management platform (-14 percentage points), decreasing carbon impact is expected to increase in importance (+2 percentage points).
Brand safety standards are table stakes according to the study findings. Marketers consider brand safety standards as a leading consideration when selecting vendors (85%), but they’re also considering environmental and social issues when directing ad spend (79%), which can have brand suitability implications.
“We believe the study demonstrates that ethical advertising is not only alive but is a crucial area of opportunity for all stakeholders in the ecosystem—brands, consumers, and adtech companies alike,” said Laura Bromwich, SVP Sales at Sharethrough. “We are encouraged to see that the future of our industry places high value on these principles. For advertisers, this means that embracing ethical practices can significantly enhance brand reputation, foster stronger customer connections, and drive long-term success.”
